Forget male vs. female, Republican vs. Democrat, brunettes vs. blondes, Team T-Swift vs. Team Katy Perry, pro-Tom Brady vs. anti-Tom Brady……..the only distinction that truly matters is………
No greater truth has ever been spoken (or blogged).
So, which is it? Are you a big cheesin’ throw the curtains back, whistling in the morning (shoutout to my brother-in-law who actually does this), it’s Tony the Tiger GGGGGGGGGRRREEEAAT to be alive person? OR do you hit snooze 23.5 times (minimum) and envision a tidal wave breaking over the grinnin’ face of your “morning person” partner?
Which am I? Awwwwww, why thank you for asking! I’m flattered you care so much.
The honest answer is I’m kinda in the middle. WHAT?!?! I know, that’s totally cheating and goes against the entire premise of this argument. But, it’s true. Since I was a bright-eyed bushy-tailed child, I’ve always been smiley and ready to seize the day and never needed coffee or a battle with my alarm clock…buuuuuuuut lately that’s been shifting to:
So, as I’m trying to sort through my true morning identity, we’ll continue with the whole “Love of Gray” thang….
Let’s say 50% of people are admittedly like this:
The downside is, you might be labeled as a morning grump. The upside is, people get it and recognize that after a cup of morning Joe, you emerge into the “normal”, kind, civilized person that you are for the rest of the day.
Well, Mr. Gray (yeah I didn’t forget about him), however, doesn’t always get that pass in life. You guys have seen of or at least heard of the film “Grumpy Old Men.” Right? So you know the deal. I mean I can think of plenty of terms I’ve heard:
“Grumpy Old Man” (That’s a classic).
“Old Hag” (ouch!)
“Curmudgeon” (had to spellcheck that one)
“Cranky Old Lady”
The list goes on, but you get the stereotype. And there is some truth to it. Mr. Gray can be GRUMPS. But the question is, Why? and Why doesn’t he get a pass like our dear morning grumps? Well, let’s explore…
I’ve been reading this recent best seller called “A Man Called Ove.” You guessed it! It’s about a man called Ove— or for our purposes, Mr. Gray— who acts like, well, an “A-hole” to everyone. He’s the type who complains about everything, doesn’t cut anyone slack, and basically acts like he can’t stand anyone around him. We’ve all met a Mr. Gray like this, right? (Sometimes it’s even our not-so-fav great aunt ;o)). Well, what you find out as you read, is that he is grieving the loss of his wife, his career, is extremely lonely, and feels like he’s lost his purpose in life– so he focuses on nitpicking on everything around him. Throughout the book, you began to see and understand his humanity and the reason why he acts the way he does…and he slowly becomes love-able.
This issue in life is, we can’t see into the experience, the pain, and essentially the inner thoughts of those grumpy Grays— so it’s easy to just go- WHAT A NASTY OLD MAN (OR LADY). When in reality, they may be….BUUUUTT I argue people are so much more forgiving of “bad behavior” once they understand the why. Agreed? OK, so here’s the WHY for Mr. Gray:
1. Loneliness (may have NO family or friends left to love him)
2. Loss of independence, function, and purpose (no longer working, may be frail, and have no feeling of contributing to society)
3. Health issues (hard to act happy when you feel your body and mind are failing)
*Sad Face*
Add to that the fact that Mr. Gray is probably being forced to drink Ensure (I’ll leave my opinions on this joke-of-a-nutritious drink for another day) and rubbery chicken…… WHO WOULDN’T BE GRUMPY PANTS?!! Come on, I mean, my DVR keeps freezing and I’m like “don’t talk to meeeeeeeeee.”
So, while seniors can be a grumpy bunch, there’s usually a darn tootin’ good reason (far better than I just don’t like mornings if you ask me). I challenge you all to look beyond the scratchy surface and cut Mr. Gray some slack if he’s a bit sassypants! One day you might hope for the same…….
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